Fix Microsoft Office programs crashing – disable bluetooth add-in

A few years ago I had a problem with Microsoft Excel crashing when I was working with graphs. I don’t remember the exact function I worked with, but I remember the fix. I disabled the “Send to Bluetooth” add-in to solve the problem. The program wasn’t playing well with some other features in Excel and I didn’t use the send-to bluetooth feature so it was an easy fix.

The send to bluetooth feature is used when you want to transfer files to a bluetooth device that is paired with your computer. A common example would be a smart phone. You could transfer documents and spreadsheets to the phone without a cable using bluetooth wireless feature. I don’t use bluetooth transfers so I chose to disable this add-in from each office application as a precautionary measure to fix other crashes and to possibly gain a little speed during startup. By disabling the add-in and not removing it, you have the option to simply re-enable in the future if you want to use the feature.

Here’s how to disable the bluetooth add-in:

In Office 2010

Start the Office application (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.)

Select the “File Tab”

Select “Options” along the left-side navigation (This will create a new window for options)

Select “Add-ins” along the left-side navigation

There is a field at the bottom of the window named “Manage”. Change the option for “Manage” to “COM Add-ins” and select the Go button.

Uncheck the “Send to Bluetooth” box and select OK. (If Send to Bluetooth is not showing then your device may not support bluetooth, so you are already done!)

Repeat this for each Office application

In Office 2007

Start the Office application (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.)

Select the Start button in the upper left.

Select “Options” button on the bottom of the dialogue window. (This will create a new window for options)

Select “Add-ins” along the left-side navigation

There is a field at the bottom of the window named “Manage”. Change the option for “Manage” to “COM Add-ins” and select the Go button.

Uncheck the “Send to Bluetooth” box and select OK. (If Send to Bluetooth is not showing then your device may not support bluetooth, so you are already done!)